BRUNSWICK, Maine--When students and faculty at Bowdoin College return from winter break in mid-January, they will be issued a single card that will not only provide added convenience, but will also streamline how security operates on campus.

"The one card system allows us to monitor and control access to various buildings and modify privileges on an as-needed basis from our communication center," said Randy Nichols, director of safety and security at Bowdoin. "From an investigative perspective, it has applications for locating missing students or locating students in the event of an emergency because we're able to track to a great degree where the student has accessed and what time." Security is also able to monitor door prompts, forced entries and other alarm points on doors.

Bowdoin is currently in the process of changing over to a new one-card system by CBORD, a provider of campus ID card software. The issued card will serve as students' ID card and key card, allowing them to access buildings and dorm rooms, and will also allow the online transfer of funds for use in laundry facilities, vending machines and cafeteria services.

Planning the move to the one card system took more than two years, said Nichols. And while he was directly involved in all stages of the planning process, Nichols said it was largely an IT project. "My main concern was, 'what was it going to be able to do? Was it simple to run? Was it reliable and what control would we have in an emergency situation?'" he said. For example, the new system will allow security to remotely lock down specific buildings as well as grant, deny or change access status for individuals.

A significant amount of the decision-making was done by Bowdoin's IT department. They rewired 22 buildings on campus, installed prox swipe readers on most exterior and interior doors and replaced nearly 3,000 cards. But, said Abbie Brown director, project management IT at Bowdoin, installing cable and hardware and printing cards was only a minor part of the project.

"The bulk of the work is nailing down the process and policy," Brown said. For example, figuring out what department is allowed to grant and deactivate access, and the segregation of duties is something Brown recommends addressing early in the project. Also, the logistics of distributing the cards when students and faculty return to campus was an important issue. The college will maintain both access control systems for a short period following winter break so students will have immediate access to their rooms. After cards are distributed to the student body and faculty, the college will deactivate the former systems.

Despite the planning and attention needed to activate this system, Nichols said he expects the new one-card system will be well worth the effort. "Any time you're dealing with one system that is easier to train and use and you know the capabilities, it's always going to be easier," he said. "For so long we were working with a hodgepodge of systems that were developed in piecemeal fashion over many years. This is a huge step forward for us."